November 29, 2012 by

Stem cell treatments for multiple sclerosis: CBS News 4 report on Jennifer Blankenship

News of the stem cell bill signing was received with joy by a Lakewood woman who says the research has already improved her life. CBS force Terry Jessup goes in depth this evening with how the research in other countries is helping people in Colorado. Coloradans are hopeful for the future.

“…I see normally, and can move both legs straight out, and I can still do this (raises her hand). I couldn’t move this hand before, so, that’s remarkable.”

Jennifer Blankenship has suffered from Multiple Sclerosis since 1984, after years of no relief from pills and alternative medicines.

Blankenship: “I have done every drug on the market for MS.”

She traveled to Costa Rica to receive stem cell spinal injections.

Blankenship: “When I got back, I could move parts of my body, talk normally, I see normally, and can move both legs straight out, and I can still do this (raises her hand). I couldn’t move this hand before, so, that’s remarkable.”

And when she heard the news the President has now reversed limits on using money for embryonic stem cell research…

Blankenship: “So this will absolutely be a miracle for so many people….And it only works for a couple of years. But a couple of years for me is a lifetime.”

White: “It offers really new hope and exciting opportunities.”

Terry White is President of Bridge Health international, a local company that arranged Jennifer’s trip.

White: “We have seen patients within a short time after treatment, who had paralysis from a stroke, being able to grab something with that paralyzed hand and actually throw a ball so their dog can chase it.”

White concedes the stem cell treatments are expensive, normally running in other countries from twenty thousand up to sixty thousand dollars. Today’s Bill signing, he says, could change that, as more money becomes available for research. The question for people like Jennifer Blankenship is how soon the treatment she receives right now by the Institute for Cellular Medicine could become available her in the United States. That’s a question that’s tough to answer.

Blankenship: “It will probably be, hopefully in my lifetime.”

In Lakewood, Terry Jessup, CBS 4 News.

Filed Under: Multiple Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Patient Stories, Patient Testimonials, Video - Stem Cell Therapy Tagged With: , , , , , ,
November 29, 2012 by

Stem cell treatments for multiple sclerosis: NEWS 8 report by Janet St. James

For Thousands of people suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, a plane trip may be more effective than a trip to their doctor’s office. There is a new treatment oversees that is getting some amazing results, but it is not yet allowed in the United States. Here is a look at what the patients are up against. MS is a disease of the CNS. It damages the protective insulation around the nerves and also damages the nerves themselves. That leads to a kind of short circuit causing a loss of bodily function. Channel 8 Janet St. James shows us why some MS patients are taking their treatment abroad.

James: Thirty three year old Angie Adcox went to Costa Rica in September not for the lush scenery, but for the life altering shots of stem cells. A risky and controversial treatment she says she had to take when American medicines failed her.

What she does know is she can wear high heels and stand up without help for the first time in years. Janet St. James, Channel 8 News.

Angie Adcox: “I want to go try this, if not who is to say where I am going to be in another six months. I might be in a home somewhere.”

James: Adcox had joined a growing number of North Texans spreading the word about stem cell injections for Multiple Sclerosis.

Leader of support group: “How many of you have been to Costa Rica at this point?”: Majority of audience raise their hands

James: Most in this support group have seen improvements in pain, balance, vision, clear thinking, and other unseen signs of MS. Five months ago, Joey Quinn was in a wheelchair.

Joey Quinn: “After the third shot that I had with the stem cells, I took my cane away. I got rid of that. I didn’t need it no more.”

James: We asked several specialists to talk to us about this stem cell treatment. They all refused, saying its unproven, potentially dangerous and could give patients false hope. The MS society warns against it, but a small study recently published in the journal Lancet shows stem cells helped 17 out of 21 patients. Julie Balley does not know precise details of the treatment she got four months ago. What she does know is she can wear high heels and stand up without help for the first time in years. Janet St. James, Channel 8 News.

Filed Under: Multiple Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Patient Stories, Patient Testimonials, Video - Stem Cell Therapy
November 28, 2012 by

Stem cell treatments for MS: a patient’s perspective

We are very happy with the Institute and what they’ve been able to do for us.

Filed Under: Multiple Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Patient Stories, Patient Testimonials, Video - Stem Cell Therapy Tagged With: , , , ,
November 28, 2012 by

Stem cell therapy for multiple sclerosis: Betsy Scheidler

“For the first time in 17 years of going downhill, I finally got that little boost, …I bought myself a year of going the other way.”

Filed Under: Multiple Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Patient Stories, Patient Testimonials, Video - Stem Cell Therapy Tagged With: , , , , ,
November 28, 2012 by

Stem cell therapy for multiple sclerosis: Eric Johnson

“I started walking again. I was walking back and forth. I didn’t want to go to be that night.”

Filed Under: Multiple Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Patient Stories, Patient Testimonials, Video - Stem Cell Therapy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
November 28, 2012 by

Stem cell treatments for multiple sclerosis: Michell Berry, MLT (ASCP)

Stem Cell Therapy…Real Treatment, Real Hope!

“I had just started another round of IV Solumedrol for my multiple sclerosis (MS) on Nov. 10, 2009. I was very upset because this was my 2nd flare-up within only 5 months. I knew my MS was starting to progress more. I was scared, concerned about my 4-year old daughter and husband, concerned about my job, and worried that I would be in a wheelchair, blind, or paralyzed someday.

As I rested that evening at my parent’s house, my dad brought up the KAKE News website. He had seen a segment recently aired on KAKE about stem cell therapy treating a Wichita man with Muscular Dystrophy and treating other diseases including MS. Half-heartedly, I filled out the online application used for evaluating patients for possible treatment, but I had no real hope that I would be able to receive stem cell therapy.

“I have continued to feel good! I do not have leg pains everyday, the foggy feeling mind is gone, short-term memory is better, legs and arms are stronger, my chronic fatigue has lessened dramatically, depression has lessened, and I feel almost ‘normal’ again!!”

To my great surprise, I received a phone call from Dr. Jeff Fassero only 2 days later saying I was a prime candidate for stem cell therapy!! I met the 3 main criteria for a great outcome. For stem cell therapy through the Institute for Cellular Medicine/Stem Cell Institute (ICM), I would have to travel to San Jose, Costa Rica. ICM uses stem cell therapy to treat many autoimmune diseases, heart failure, autism, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, cerebral palsy, diabetes, spinal cord injury, degenerative joint disease, critical limb ischemia, and other conditions. ICM was founded and largely financed personally by Dr. Neil H. Riordan, a native of Wichita, KS. He is the department head of the stem cell culture lab at ICM, and he founded a supplement company in Arizona called Aidan Products. As I researched stem cell therapy and Dr. Riordan, I discovered numerous medical articles written by him that have been published in many scientific and medical journals including treating cancer with IV vitamin C.

On February 1, 2010, I was at my first appointment. I could hardly believe that I was actually in Costa Rica at ICM! The caring medical team was friendly, professional, and helped ease some of my anxieties. My treatment session was for 2 weeks and included physical therapy 2 hours a day, blood work, a pre-op exam, consultation with a surgeon, surgery to extract my own fat-derived stem cells, 2 IV infusions of my fat-derived stem cells, and 5 injections of umbilical cord stem cells into my spinal column. Treatment was not easy at times. But, I was hopeful and excited about the prospect of having a “normal” life again!

I was very gratified that I felt better as quickly as I did. I was hoping that I was not feeling better only because I was in a different country and away from my daily routine. Fortunately, I have continued to feel good! I do not have leg pains everyday, the foggy feeling mind is gone, short-term memory is better, legs and arms are stronger, my chronic fatigue has lessened dramatically, depression has lessened, and I feel almost “normal” again!! I had not had any hope that I would EVER feel this good again! Hope…hope is a wonderful thing!”

– M.L.B

Filed Under: Multiple Sclerosis, News, Patient Stories, Stem Cells Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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